Recovery crews in Sonoma County have begun the grim task of searching for bodies in the ashes of neighborhoods that were devastated by wildfires.

Sheriff Rob Giordano on Thursday announced the county's 14th death (bringing the Northern California fires death toll up to 24) and said at a morning briefing that law enforcement is "moving into a recovery phase" in the aftermath of the Tubbs fire in the Santa Rosa area, which he called "an active disaster."

The searches can take hours and identification will be difficult, Giordano said.

Oct. 12, 2017, 11:06 a.m.

Motorcycle cops wearing masks are circling the deserted streets. Everything is closed in the downtown area -- the art galleries, wine tasting rooms, cafes. The thick smoke hangs like fog. Roads leading into town are closed.

Oct. 12, 2017, 11:02 a.m.

Douglas Thron, an Oakland-based drone cinematographer, has photographed California wildfires and their aftermath for decades.

But even he was surprised when he captured a U.S. Postal Service truck driving through Santa Rosa’s Coffey Park neighborhood. The driver could be seen Tuesday dutifully opening mailboxes in front of destroyed homes.

At first, Thron thought the driver was just pulling over to take a cellphone photo.

Despite continuing red flag conditions, forecasts called for cooler daytime temperatures and relatively light winds Thursday. Fire authorities were predicting a generally productive day on the fire lines in and around the devastated resort communities of Sonoma and Napa counties’ wine country.

“We need to hit this thing hard and get it done,” Santa Rosa Fire Chief Tom Gossner told hundreds of firefighters gathered at dawn in a barn at the Santa Rosa fairgrounds. “It’s time to finish this thing.”